Stupid "internal" policies

This one is most definitely a Rant!

A couple of weeks ago we had a parcel delivered to me at work. Nothing unusual about this, we do it all the time. It's easier because then Liz can go out and not worry about missing the Mail Carrier, and having to stop by the Post Office the next day and wait in line to pick up the parcel, etc.

The Tracking Number we got said the Parcel was delivered on Wednesday, so Thursday I went looking for it, but no parcel was to be found. Our Front Desk staff said they hadn't seen it. I went home wondering where the parcel was. Friday was my day off.

On Monday I got into work to find an email in my Inbox, from Mail Services at City Hall. They had my parcel and I had one week to come in and pick it up. But the email was sent Friday, Sept. 5th, and the one week grace period they claimed to be giving me, they said ended on Sept. 4th.

I was a little pissed off because I knew they'd received the parcel on Sept. 3rd.

Everything worked out though, and I made the journey to City Hall and picked up my parcel, and I emailed the head of Mail Services and thanked him and his staff for taking care of my parcel until I was able to pick it up.

Then we ordered a Ground Loop Isolator from Overstock.com, which we had delivered to my office. Apparently the Mail Carrier attempted to deliver it yesterday but left a Delivery Notice instead.

I contacted Mail Services at City Hall: "Nope. Don't have it."

Well of course you don't have it! The Mail Carrier never left it! What he did leave was a Delivery Notice, which I could use to pick up the parcel from the local Post Office, if I had it!

"Mail Services doesn't leave any notices regarding personal mail."

GAH!

I went downstairs to the Mail Room in our building. The woman there showed me the log of incoming mail. Only one item arrived for my floor, but it wasn't for me.

I checked with the girl at our Front Desk. She never saw the Mail Carrier yesterday.

I strongly suspect someone at City Hall's Mail Services refused to sign for my parcel ("That's Personal, we don't sign for Personal mail."), took the Delivery Notice and instead of looking me up and emailing me or putting my Delivery Notice in the Internal Mail...tossed it in the trash.

This is what happens when Bean Counters are in charge of Operations. Everyone is so intent on covering their arse and watching their backs, that something like holding an employee's personal mail until they can pick it up is eliminated, because company resources are being devoted to a non-business related activity, and we can't have that happening.

I'm going to keep an eye on Tracking for this item, and if I see the Post Office made another delivery attempt and left a notice, I'll be emailing Mail Services again. But this time I'll change my tune.

Yes, this item is addressed to me personally, and yes, it's coming from Overstock.com. It's an A/V item we need for our conference room television and we're paying for it out of Petty Cash. So either accept my parcel, or tell the Mail Carrier to deliver it to our building WHICH IS WHERE IT'S BLOODY WELL ADDRESSED TO!!!

Unfortunately I suspect the Mail Services Manager would double check with someone else here if that's correct, and then I'd be the one on the end of an arse reaming.

Fucking bureaucrats.

*EDIT - Now the Tracking website shows my parcel was delivered yesterday morning, at 9:30am. So while I was running around like a headless chook, being told by everyone that they didn't have it, somewhere, someone did sign for it.